


Corona Noctis

by lucianlibrarian



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bonding, Cannibalistic Thoughts, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Drinking, Drunken Kissing, Episode Ignis Verse 2, Friends to Lovers, Heroic Crown, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Magic, Pining, Poetry, Rituals, Sonnet Corona, Sonnets, Swearing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Violence, World of Ruin (Final Fantasy), crown of sonnets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:26:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23439160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucianlibrarian/pseuds/lucianlibrarian
Summary: A heroic crown of sonnets tracing Ignis's relationship with Noctis from the halcyon days of childhood to the World of Ruin…and beyond.
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 28
Kudos: 37
Collections: NaPoWriMo 2020





	1. too weak for the waiting

**Author's Note:**

> **UPDATE: 23 FEB 2021** – The poems have been quietly revised to be even better! If you've read them in the past, consider going back and checking out the new versions!
> 
> * * *
> 
> You know, I've been wanting to write an heroic crown of sonnets for at least a decade. Leave it to my favorite boys to finally get me there. This began as my as part of NaPoWriMo 2020 project, but due to recurring health issues, I just didn't finish in April; it took about three months, not one.
> 
> For those unfamiliar with this incredibly complex and challenging form, a short primer:
> 
> 1\. The heroic crown is comprised of fifteen (15) sonnets.  
> 2\. The last line of the first sonnet is the first line of the second sonnet.  
> 3\. The last line of the second sonnet is the first line of the third sonnet.  
> 4\. The pattern established by #s 2-3 continues until the fourteenth sonnet, where the last line is the first line of the first sonnet.  
> 5\. The fifteenth sonnet is comprised of the first lines of all fourteen preceding sonnets, in order.
> 
> And now that that's out of the way, hang onto your hats…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _You’d think I’d know more stars I could condemn_ || Ignis addresses an absent Noctis about waiting for his return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NaPoWriMo Day 1!

You’d think I’d know more stars I could condemn;  
I confess I barely remember them.  
You, my wild-eyed, moon-grinned charge, named them all  
but never understood the protocol  
for your advisor: _I’m always behind_  
_to hide in your shadow._ I didn’t mind  
because where else should your servant be?  
(You said, _Beside me because you’re Iggy_.)  
Gladio proclaimed my heart far too weak  
for the waiting. “Ignis, the future’s bleak.”  
“Stop,” I said. “There’s nothing left to discuss.”  
(He can’t know my yearning for you, for _us_.)  
  
I’ll survive Night – Ruin – the Gods’ attack;  
I swore it all when I chose Crownsguard black.


	2. a promise I’d never wish away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I swore it all when I chose Crownsguard black_ || Ignis reflects on his vows and the magic binding him to Noctis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poem #4 for NaPoWriMo!

I swore it all when I chose Crownsguard black:  
“To pledge blood and blade in service of you.  
May my failure earn your sword through my back  
as the last gift of the liege I hold true.”  
Those were old words, Noctis, that sung magic  
(though your father probably didn’t say)  
deep into my arteries, iron-thick  
bonds, a promise I’d never wish away.  
Perhaps it’s odd to grasp a trap so firm;  
they say beasts do so to snap their limbs free.  
I’m sure you know I’m more _beast_ than _bookworm_ —  
and, beyond that, a happy detainee.

My _blood and blade_ versus any mayhem,  
to preserve and treasure you like a gem.


	3. to hold you as you cried

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _To preserve and treasure you like a gem_ || A partial list of Ignis's duties.
> 
> [tw: Homophobic slur, act of homophobic violence, swearing]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NaPoWriMo Day 7!
> 
> It's official. With this poem, the whole cycle changes ratings. It's now rated T for Teen.

To preserve and treasure you like a gem;  
to break you out of Citadel confines;  
to lift your spirits when you were solemn;  
to teach you how to calculate cosines;  
to cut that Duke’s son who screamed “fucking fag”  
as he burned your cheek with his cigarette  
that time he saw you carry Prompto’s bag  
(I confess, _delicious_ justice to mete);  
to hold you as you cried, _Ignis, he’s right,_  
_what am I gonna do?_ ; to press my lips  
against your silk hair, wish with all my might  
my “later” just foretold the next eclipse.

Love’s the cosmogony you’d have me hack  
and damn any darkness that’d hold me back.


	4. we all lost something to Leviathan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _And damn any darkness that’d hold me back_ || Ignis considers the events leading up to his confrontation with Ardyn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NaPoWriMo Day 8!

“And damn any darkness that’d hold _me_ back!”  
Those were Gladio’s final words to me  
before the voice of the Tidemother cracked  
Altissia open to the fierce sea.  
I lost him to the madness of water  
—a loss I fear I will never regain—  
yet as Ravus cut a path of slaughter,  
I feared I, too, would be driven insane.  
We all lost something to Leviathan,  
even if She didn’t do the taking;  
And then, wearing Gladio’s face, Ardyn  
appeared to the tune of treaties breaking.

I’m no Oracle, no King of the Stone,  
but no sky tells me who sits on the throne.


	5. when every star is just another mouth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _But no sky tells me who sits on the throne_ || An evening spent with Ardyn.
> 
> [tw: implied/referenced torture]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It may no longer be NaPoWriMo, but I haven't forgotten this. It still haunts me each night.

“But no sky tells _me_ who sits on the throne  
when every star is just another mouth  
gnawing their Chosen One’s name like a _bone_!”  
said Ardyn, eyes and dagger trailing south  
to find the fine parallel lines he’d carved  
into my chest. “Oh, now don’t look so _pained_ —  
we’ve still some time, and I’ll not have you starved  
or bled.” My clothes may have been soaked and stained,  
but he gave me potions, towels. Cooked a meal  
of surprising delicacy. Won three  
chess matches. “If you’re wanting me to kneel,”  
I said, “try gluing the floor to my knee.”

“We’ve time for that, too, if you desire.  
I’ve always _relished_ the urge of fire.”


	6. how deep my hunger ran

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I’ve always relished the urge of fire_ || Ignis remembers a forbidden longing and how he fought to control it.
> 
> [tw: cannibalistic thoughts]

I’ve always relished the urge of fire  
to consume. You said I should admire  
the elements equally— _cold’s razor_  
_tooth, lightning’s bright whip_. Oh, my stargazer,  
if you only knew how deep my hunger  
ran! How, even when we were both younger,  
I longed to devour you so I could  
keep you from everyone. In adulthood,  
this possessiveness frightened me. I strove  
for distance, to watch from behind the stove  
instead of the chair dragged close to your side.  
But you _needed_ me. I failed. How I’d tried.

Flame _gets_ my demand to take, to be known,  
to explain what I’ve long felt to the bone.


	7. with him, you are never alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _To explain what I’ve long felt to the bone_ || At the Vesperpool, during the mythril search, Prompto and Ignis discuss their singular friend.

To explain what I’ve long felt to the bone,  
leave it to Prompto: “He’s just so _special_ ,  
y’know? With him, you are never alone.”  
This was Vesperpool, before the crystal  
took you. Aranea called you away,  
and the two of you spoke for hours.  
_Our_ talk turned to you without much delay—  
how you’d gathered _hamanasu_ flowers  
from the river’s edge, stripped the blooms, scattered  
petals to the west, prayed to Etro’s Gate.  
“He mentioned me, too! I was so flattered,”  
Prompto said, smiling. “Thought I’d _never_ rate!”

Your boundless heart is all I require;  
you’ve always been the king I desire.


	8. they never knew a thing about us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _You’ve always been the king I desire_ || As a child, Ignis was told Noctis would be spoiled and difficult…

You’ve always been the king I desire  
before you were ever a king—before  
I knew what being a king would require  
of you. All _they_ had said was what a chore  
it would be to chase after a spoiled prince,  
to cater to his protean whimsies.  
 _They_ never knew a thing about _us_ , since  
I was also chased when we stole flimsies  
from the copy room to make lucent wings  
for your elf costume, and I remember  
the bracelets we braided for all the king’s  
councilors—our twin grins, warm as ember.

Forget what those old fools said between nods;  
forget the thoughtless stars, the skies, the gods!


	9. I just had to see him bleed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Forget the thoughtless stars, the skies, the gods_ || Ardyn follows Ignis across Eos.
> 
> [tw: canon-typical violence]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today is Monday, 29 June, 2020. It is 23:00 (11:00 PM) EST. I have just completed the entire sequence. I'll be going back to make some revisions, of course, but I am done! Expect me to post the rest over the coming days.

“Forget the thoughtless stars, the skies! The gods  
know nothing about us because They don’t  
_try_ to see!” Ardyn again—all facades,  
finery. He shadowed me. Vowed, “I won’t  
leave Noct’s _favorite_ alone!” It was like that  
for weeks: a laugh teasing me in a crypt,  
coins in my bait, my notes stuffed in his hat,  
_et cetera_. Hearing his voice I whipped  
out a dagger, kicked it into his face.  
I knew it wouldn’t hurt him; I just had  
to see him bleed, shut his foul mouth, erase  
his treatment of me like a lost comrade.

“Ignis, you’ve already survived so much.  
Why fight like you’ll die to a single touch?”


	10. you know I couldn't hurt you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Why fight like you’ll die to a single touch?_ || The memory of a sparring match gone wrong reminds Ignis of Noctis's values.
> 
> [tw: swearing, fighting]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what? Fuck this spacing-my-poems-out release schedule. Just have them all.

“Why fight like you’ll die to a single touch?  
Fucking _hit_ me!” Gladio was screaming  
as he brought his wooden broadsword down much  
too hard, smashed Noct’s shoulder. Fat tears streaming  
down his face, Noct phased away. “That’s enough,”  
I said, stepping in front of my prince. “You’ve  
proven your point. No need to be so rough  
with him.” I turned away, started to move  
toward the sidelines when Gladio lashed out,  
“Need your _nanny_ to fight your battles, too?”  
Noct warped back, disarmed his Shield, screwed his pout  
on tighter: _You know I couldn't hurt you_

 _Dad said that kings who’d strike their own are frauds.  
_(Leave it to you to win against all odds.)


	11. how do you prevail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Leave it to you to win against all odds_ || How _does_ Noctis keep winning, anyway?

Leave it to you to win against all odds—  
whether it’s clearing the table of stripes  
while your hustled opponent’s date applauds,  
wrecking the Imperial prototypes  
Cor tips us off to in Formouth Garrison,  
defeating the rampaging Tidemother,  
or storming Zegnautus with everyone  
else to save me. One after another,  
you collect triumphs. How do you prevail?  
Is success part of Divine Providence?  
Not that you’re incapable, but the scale  
of your victories doesn’t quite make sense.

I fear I can’t save you from the Astrals’ clutch;  
to beg for your life would be far too much.


	12. if that should be my path, so mote it be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _To beg for your life would be far too much_ || Ignis never believed, not like Noctis did.

To _beg_ for your life would be far too much  
of me. I’ve never been pious like you.  
Like all nobles, I kept the Old Ways—such  
as they were—but you believed with the true  
conviction of an Oracle. Little  
wonder that Lunafreya earned your trust;  
you were both glad to let the gods whittle  
your bodies to nothing, let your flesh rust.  
 _If that should be my path, So Mote It Be_ –  
I heard those words from you so many times.  
It wasn’t my place to give you my plea.  
(To contradict Etro? At least twelve crimes.)

This time, your life and your soul are my task.  
I’ll take it, I’ll take it, _and I won’t ask_.


	13. that kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _I’ll take it, I’ll take it, and I won’t ask_ || Ignis remembers the time he got drunk in Lestallum and offered Noctis a kiss.
> 
> [tw: drinking, drunken kissing]

_I’ll take it. I’ll take it, and I won’t ask_  
_for anything more of you._ This was how  
you welcomed that kiss from me—flushed and flask-  
drunk on rum tucked in my jeans. Even now,  
I think of your chivalry. You refused  
to take advantage or leave me abashed.  
One hot Lestallum night, Gladio mused  
something about kicking back for once. Flashed  
a few liquor bottles. I laughed at both  
your smiles, agreed. It wasn’t long before  
it was just you and me – alone – my oath  
tested. You were so _gorgeous_ , but I swore!

I fell. I fell—having failed at my task—  
for you, who saw the love beneath my mask.


	14. we lived

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _For you, who saw the love beneath my mask_ || Ignis devises a way to save Noctis.

For you, who saw the love beneath my mask,  
I’d do _anything_. You would never ask,  
so I just _did_ —and stalking some Royal Tomb,  
found the solution bound in your heirloom.  
The Ring’s a lifeblood contract, signed and sealed  
in flame. I survived it because you healed  
me. Ravus, because he broke it before  
it consumed him. That’s how we could restore  
you, I realized. Set the heal in motion  
once Light left your eyes – _so like the ocean_ –  
dive through the Veil – _so like a wave_ – to break  
the link. You once did the same for my sake.

We lived—despite the fate _gifted_ by Them;  
you’d think I’d know more stars I could condemn.


	15. corona

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A coronation, a declaration, a proposal in words already spoken.

You’d think I’d know more stars I could condemn!  
I swore it all when I chose Crownsguard black—  
to preserve and treasure you like a gem,  
and damn any darkness that’d hold me back.  
But no sky tells me who sits on the throne.  
I’ve always relished the urge of fire  
to explain what I’ve long felt to the bone:  
you’ve always been the king I desire.  
Forget the thoughtless stars, the skies, the gods!  
Why fight like you’d die to a single touch?  
Leave it to you to win against all odds.  
To beg for your life would be far too much:

I’ll take it, I’ll take it, and I won’t ask  
for you, who saw the love beneath my mask.

**Author's Note:**

> Twitter: [@lucianlibrarian](https://twitter.com/lucianlibrarian)  
> Discord: starryfox#7213


End file.
